Class, the lessons we learn in life define us, from the moment we are born until we are laid to rest. These aren’t the lessons like biology, or Spanish. These are true life lessons.
These life lessons aren’t mandatory. They aren’t even worth extra credit, except for your own peace of mind. Even considering that, many lessons are learned far too late.
As you stand here, the class of 2022, for the last time, about to graduate into the real world, with real responsibilities, I wanted to shared with you some of the lessons I have learned, and how maybe I could have learned them sooner.
Walk your own path.
There is nothing more important in life than knowing who you are and what you stand for. Whether you’re standing against police brutality or neo-nazis, you must always be strong enough to stay true to yourself.
Good things don’t come easy.
But know that staying true is the hard way. High risk, high reward. You’ll lose friends along the way – both those that can’t understand your path in life, and those that are removed by force. A friend of mine, Kane Doeburn, he was lost along the way – a battle I will always regret losing, but a cog in the machine of war that we eventually won.
Live and let live.
I learned too late that there are usually two sides to every story. Nightstick is a prime example of this – presented as the barbaric state brutalising the minority, he was a man with his own truths and convictions pushed into a fight he never asked for. I learned to let him live his truth, and he learned to let me live mine.
Never fail to try more.
The Revolution was… something else. Luther Creed was like a brother to me. We both knew the fight was long and hard, but we put everything into it. We could not have tried harder even with all of earth’s resources. As long as you’re trying your best, failure isn’t an end point. Failure is just a measuring stick of how and when you learned your lessons.
And finally – make every moment count.
This life is short and it can be cruel. It’s important to follow these important life lessons but don’t forget to sit back sometimes, and take it all in. Enjoy what you have earned the right to enjoy.
And that’s what this is all about, class. We walk out in front of that crowd one final time and we say goodbye to the place that made us who we are – the place where we learned it all. Luther. Nightstick. We’re about to graduate from the hallowed halls of OSW, with honours, so let’s deliver a valedictorial masterclass in front of all of our peers and leave on a high.
And on that high, we’ll ride into the wide world, holding the knowledge to further us in whatever we do next.
There is no homework this week, class. For the final time – class dismissed!